Keiji Haino (jap) + Ches Smith (us)
Keiji Haino (jap) + Ches Smith (us) , 7th October - les ateliers claus
Keiji Haino (jap)
Haino's initial artistic outlet was theatre, inspired by the radical writings of Antonin Artaud. An epiphanic moment came when he heard The Doors' "When The Music's Over" and changed course towards music. After brief stints in a number of blues and experimental outfits, he formed improvised rock band Lost Aaraaf in 1970. In the mid 1970s, having left Lost Aaraaf, he collaborated with psychedelic multi-instrumentalist Magical Power Mako.
His musical output throughout the late 1970s is scarcely documented, until the formation of his rock duo Fushitsusha in 1978 (although their first LP did not surface until 1989). This outfit initially consisted of Haino on guitar and vocals, and Tamio Shiraishi on synthesizer. With the departure of Shiraishi and the addition of Jun Hamano (bass) and Shuhei Takashima (drums), Fushitsusha operated as a trio. The lineup soon changed, with Yasushi Ozawa (bass) and Jun Kosugi (drums) performing throughout the 1990s, but returned to a duo with Haino supplementing percussion with tape-loops.
Haino formed Aihiyo in 1998, principally playing a diverse range of covers (including The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience), transforming the original material into Haino's unique form of garage psychedelia.
Other groups Haino has formed include Vajra (with underground folk singer Kan Mikami and drummer Toshiaki Ishizuka), Knead (with the avant-prog outfit Ruins), Sanhedolin (with Yoshida Tatsuya of Ruins and Mitsuru Nasuno of Korekyojinn, Altered States and Ground Zero) and a solo project called Nijiumu. He has also collaborated with many artists, including Faust, Boris, Derek Bailey, Joey Baron, Peter Brötzmann, Lee Konitz, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Charles Gayle, Earl Kuck, Bill Laswell, Musica Transonic, Stephen O'Malley, Makigami Koichi, Ayuo, Merzbow, Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke, John Zorn, Yamantaka Eye, John Duncan, Fred Frith, Charles Hayward and John Butcher.
Ches Smith is an American musician (b. San Diego, CA, 1973) whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone. He writes and performs music in a wide variety of contexts, including solo percussion, experimental rock bands, and small and large jazz ensembles.
The fourth album “A Complete And Tonal Disaster” by Congs for Brums, (Ches Smith’s solo percussion and electronics project) came out last September. Why? Because “A Complete and Tonal Dissonance," while perhaps more accurate, is a shittier title. Obviously!
Smith’s new electronics rig tends toward sounds that fall in the cracks of pitch and tempo. Thus when the melodies—clear and tonal in their own tuning—run up against their counterparts on the equal-tempered vibraphone, they produce by turns jarring, shimmering, tense and hilarious situations. Smith capitalizes on this energy each moment, processing, reacting to, and shaping melodic modules on the spot in various ways. Each iteration points to new implications of a rather small amount of material.
On this album we are hearing the raw state of what was played. Smith had a lot on his plate, improvising with drums, vibes and electronics often simultaneously. He left some cringe-worthy doozies in there. Keep an ear out for the mistakes! And keep in mind how easy it is to fabricate a perfect recorded performance these days. The sound rides the border of control and not knowing.
This album is dedicated to Ornette Coleman and Pauline Oliveros.
Ches has also played with John Zorn, Fred Frith, Mark Ribot, Dave Holland, Tim Berne, Mary Halvorson, Darius Jones, Larry Ochs and many more.
Bandcamp new album https://congsforbrums.bandcamp.com/album/a-complete-and-tonal-disaster
"etudes-studies focusing on things I want to get happening in my drumming, vibraphone playing, electronics, misc percussion, or composing"